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Extraordinary Ephesus

We waited in the darkness of the night along the pier in Mykonos for our overnight ferry to arrive. Finally around 3 am we heard the slow rumbling approach and saw the lights of the big Greek ferry rolling into port. We were exhausted yet relieved that it had finally arrived and we had a room reserved for the overnight sail to the Greek Island of Samos.

As we boarded the ship, ready to finally get some rest there was a bit of confusion. We had our reservation in hand for our room yet whenever we showed it to the staff they acted like they didn’t understand and simply said “thank you“. This went on for about ten minutes until the angry crew member finally barked at us “sorry, no room for you”. What?! We had already paid the $100 and reserved it months in advance while planning our honeymoon. Yet he showed us no kindness and instead, turned away with an evil smirk on his face and pointed downstairs to the crowded sitting room. We were so mad but too tired to complain. We spent the night sleeping under the luggage holder on urine-stained carpet and slept on the rocky, stinky ferry floor until sunrise.

We arrived in Samos desperately hoping our trip would improve. We had not had much luck with the Greek ferry system that was certain. Samos is primarily known as a jumping off point to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus located across the sea in Kusadasi, Turkey. Ephesus is one of the most beautiful ancient cities in the world with a history stemming back to 3000 BC. It is the birthplace of the famous philosopher Heraclitus and contains many attractions such as the Basilica of St John, the House of Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. I had always wanted to see Ephesus thus was willing to take whatever it took to get there.

Once we arrived in Samos, we took a long cab ride to our hotel which again was booked in advance by our US-based travel agent. So far, all our hotels had been amazing and the only problem we experienced with our trip in Greece were the ferries. The hotel in Samos was in the middle of nowhere and nothing special. When we arrived, we were so tired that we decided to take a nap for awhile. I was sound asleep when all the sudden both Paul and I woke up with a start. A roaring, deafening sound was growing louder and louder and it sounded like we were going to be attacked! We raced out of bed, opened the window and in horror realized our hotel room was directly at the end of the airport runway in Samos! We had 737 jets landing right over our room, non stop. Ephesus was really going to have to be extraordinary to make things better!

The next morning after no sleep, we rose early and took the 90 minute ferry over to the port of Kusadasi, Turkey for our tour of Ephesus. Thankfully our tour bus left twenty minutes later and we were on our way driving through the picturesque Turkish countryside.

Arrival in Kusadasi.

Our tour guide informed us that Ephesus once housed over 250,000 people and during its day it was one of the most important cities in all of Europe and Asia Minor. Amazons, Greeks, Lydians, Romans and many other civilizations lived in Ephesus over the years.

What is so extraordinary about Ephesus is that only 30% of the ruins are uncovered. Our guide said that it took over 150 years to uncover what we saw that day and would take another 350 years to uncover the rest! Extraordinary!

The ruins of Ephesus: The Library of Celsus.

The impressive amphitheater

More ruins.

Turkish toilets.

This column is all that remains today of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, The Temple of Artemis.

The very spot where St. Paul wrote his famous letter to the Corinthians.

After our awesome tour, we had a couple of hours to wander around Kusadasi. The town was much larger and modern than I had expected. It had many shops, tourist restaurants and tons of bazaars where lovely, expensive Turkish rugs were sold.

Our afternoon ended up being wonderful and there was no better way to celebrate it than by having a “million lira” beer!

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13 comments

Although I had a bad experience with the Greek ferries (I still avoid them today), I was lucky enough to get my own cabin as I was a female travelling alone. I share your love of Ephesus. I had an incredible experience there. Just as our guide was explaining how the natural acoustics in the ampitheatre work, a man stepped forward and began to sing with the most beautiful opera voice I have ever heard. The natural acoustics really are good, and I felt honoured to have witnessed such a special moment.

It is understood and Turkey would Kuşadasını Like your writing too.
However, the pictures named the Turkish toilets, toilets for the fact that Turkish is the ruins of Rome, I would like to inform you
Yes, once upon a time the economy was really bad and the first £ 1 million were used. However, now that we have taken six zeros, and most of the developed countries will compete in the economy size.
And as a result, someone with your family on your next visit you would like to
yours affectionately
ÇELEBİ KAPTAN

Extraordinary, breathtakingly beautiful. Takes you back when the Gods roam the Earth and magic, supernatural beings roams the planet. Whew! What an adventure! Wishing you and your family all the joys, love and peace of the holidays.